A dedicated fundraiser has presented more than £1,000 to a hospital charity following an epic 65-mile swim.

Peter Hunt, from Welbury, near Northallerton, covered the equivalent of the distance from Redcar to Bridlington to mark the 65th year of the Friends of the Friarage Hospital.

His efforts raised £1,237, and Peter visited the charity recently to present a cheque for the sum.

A spokesperson for the Friends said: "We – and Peter – would like to thank every person and business that made a donation and spurred him on.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Celia Curry, left, and Carri Ramsbottom from Friends of the Friarage with fundraiser Peter Hunt

"We are so grateful to Peter for the sterling effort he put in – it can't have been easy getting up on those cold, dark, winter mornings to swim approximately 2km, all before heading off to work."

He completed the virtual challenge, which involved 4,180 pool lengths, over 12 weeks between October and December.

A long-standing backer of the Friends of the Friarage, in 2022 Peter swam two miles across Lake Windermere to raise funds for the charity, which supports the Northallerton hospital with new equipment and donations.